Feeding and luting device for metallurgical furnaces



March 31. 1925. 1,531,791 I L. R. KELLEY FEEDING AND LUTING DEVICE FOR METALLURGICAL FURNACES Fil ed Nov. 11, 1924 jow'sjili'ligy,

Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

LOUIS R. KELLEY, OE BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BETHLEHEM FOUNDRY & MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FEEDING- AND LU'IING DEVICE non METALLURGECAL runnnons.

Application filed November 11, 1924. Serial No. 749,121.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Lotus R. KELLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding and Luting Devices for Metallurgical Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide improvements in metallurgical furnaces, particularly in that type in which a series of hearths and a superimposed dryer arepreferably arranged in concentric relationwith one another about the vertically extending axes of said hearths and dryers surrounding a rotatable shaft, from which arms carrying rabble-blades extend radially into the chambers above the respective dryer and hearths, said shaft also being provided with a luting and feeding device, which is the principal subject of the present invention.

Another object is to provide in the upper surface of the dryer-platform an annular r groove, in which a lute-apron, carried by the rotatable shaft, projects, and has its lower edge portion normally submerged or 1 imbedded in'pulverized ore, and the space between the upper portion of the lute-apron and the said shaft being closed by a weblike structure, all of which co-operate to prevent any substantial quantity of the gases from the hcarths beneath rising tlnroughthe central opening in the dryer ilatform and escaping from the furnace above the dryer.

A furtl'ier object is to provide such a luteapron with an aperture at one po nt upon its periphery, together with a diagonally positioned scraper so arranged as to reach out angularly into the ore outside of the apron upon the dryer-platform and scrape portions of said ore through the opening in the apron, and against a suitably positioned inside scraper and vadjustable plate toward and through a feed opening, which permits this dried ore to pass toward and finally drop through the central opening in the platform.

Still another object is to provide in such a construction a plate which is adjustable so as to vary the effective cross-section of the feed opening, and thus regulate the amount of ore which the rotation of the shaft and the outside scraper caused to pass from the dryer platforin'to the first of-the series of hearths therebeneath. i j

\Vith these and other objects in view, the present invention comprises additional novel details of construction and operation herein after fully brought out in the following de. scription, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. '1 is a plan view of a fragmentary portion of the interior of a 1netallurgicalfurnaee upon the line 11 of Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is aperspective View of the improved feeding device, shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical ,diametrical section of the upper central portion ofa furnace in which the invention is employed.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a portion of a furnace including in its structure the preferred embodiment of theinvention. Of the furnace proper, there is shown a central vertically extending rotatable shaft 1, surrounded by a horizontally extending,

relatively stationary hearth 2-provided with a central aperture 3, through which the shaft extends and, with an'inclined annular flange 4:, positioned cireulnferentially of the margin of the apertureB.

Above the hearth 2, which by the. way is but one of a series of superimposed hearths, there is positioned a horizontally extending dryer-platform 5, provided centrally with an enlarged aperture 6 through which the shaft 1 extends in spaced relation with the walls thereof, for a purpose hereinafter described. The upper surfaceof the dryerplatforin is n'ovided with an annular lute groove 7, co-axial with the aperture 6 but spaced radially therefrom, so as to provide an interposed wall or flange 8.

Extending laterally from the outer surface of the rotatable shaft is a suitably constructed wall or flange 9, lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft and carrying upon its outer periphery a cylindrical member 10, known as a luteapron, the lower edge portion of which extends downwardly into the lute groove 7 beneath the plane of'the upper surface of the dryer-platform 5. This lute-apron is provided at one or more points about its periphery with a feed opening 11, which ter1ni-' Considering the apron as rotating in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 1, to the forward edge portion of said feed opening is secured the forward portion of an inside scraper 12, which extends angular-1y in- 'WELICllY from said apron, the innermost end to flex during the-operation of the furnace,

under the influence of the heat therein and the pressure of ore as the latter passes.

through said feed opening. To the rear edge portion of the feed opening, adjacent to the adjustable plate 14, is either rigidly or pivotally mounted anoutside scraper 17, which extends angularly outwardly from the lute-apron.

In Fig. 2, this outside scraper is shown as fixedly positioned, while in Fig. 1, in dotand-dash lines, there is illustrated an arrangement whereby the angular position of the scraper 17 can be adjusted from within the shaft 1. This arrangement comprises a 'rod 1.8, threaded at its inner end, and surrounded by and in threaded engagement with any suitable hand-wheel .19, or the like, while the outer end of said rod is pivotally connected with a suitable eyelet 20 secured to the scraper, which in this instance would be hingedly mounted at 2 1 to the "apron 10. It should also be noted that the lute-apron itself is vertically adjust-able by loosening the bolts or other suitable means 22 by which it is secured to the flange 9, said bolts extending through elongated slots 23 in the apron itself.

In the operation of this device, ore is placed upon the platform 5, where it dried through subjecting it to the spent heat arising from the hearths 2 tl1erel)eneatl1.

The ore is constantly stirred by spaced angularly positioned rabble-blades 24, carried upon any suitable type of. rabble-arm 25, secured to and rotatablein unison with the shaft 1. seenthatas the shaft and consequently the rabble-blades travel in the direction of the arrow, the ore, as encountered by said blades, will be progressively moved towards the lute-groove 7, which being once filled with pulverized ore serves as a trap in conjunction with the lower portion of the inteapron 10, to prevent the gases, driven from the ore upon the hearth 2, from passing upwardly through the aperture 6 and escaping from the furnace above the dryer-platform. The apron, being at all points equi- Re'fer-ring to Fig. 1, it will be distant from the axis of rotation of the shaft 1, moves continuously in a grooved path through the ore within the groove, While the outer scraper 17 extends radially angularly outwardly so that the ore, having been brought toward'the apron by the rabble-blades and into the path of the outside scraper, is propelled thereby toward and through the feed-opening 11, in accordance with the effectlve cross-section of said open ing as determined by the vertical position of the adjustable plate 14, past which the ore can not escape laterally due to the position of the inner scraper 12.

Ore, having passed through the-opening in said apron, soon thereafter falls through the aperture 6 in the dryer-platform, and is deflected by the a-ngnlarly positioned flange 26 upon the hearth 2, where it may be acted upon in any desired manner as for instance by additional rabble-blades carried by supporting arms, neitherof which, however, is illustrated in the drawings.

Thus the invention as applied to a furnace in the manner illustrated feeds ore from one platform to, another, regardless of, whether they are for different or the same Having thus described my invention, what i I claim and desire to protect by Letters 1 Patent of the United States is 1. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a rotatable shaft, a platform having an opening concentric with the axis of said shaft and through which ore may drop, an annular groove in said platform concentric with said opening, a cylindrical flange carried by said shaft and extending into said groove, said flange having an opening through which "ore may pass from said plat form to said opening.

2. In ametallurgical furnace, the com, blnation of a vertically extending rotatable shaft, a platform having an opening concentric with and through which said shaft" extends, said opening'being larger than said shaft, an annular groove in said platform concentric with said opening, a cylindrical flange carried by said shaft and having an edge portion extending into said groove, said flange having an'opening through which ore may pass from said platform to said opening. x

3. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a vertically extending rotatable shaft, a platform having an opening concentric with and through which saidshaft extends, said opening being larger than said shaft, an annular groove in said platform concentric with said opening, a cylindrical flange carried by said shaft and having an edge portion extending into said groove, said flange having an opening through which ore may pass from said platform to said opening, and a scraper extending angularly from said flange and operative to deflect ore from the platform through the opening in the flange and towards the open ing around said shaft.

4;. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a vertically extending rotatable shaft, a platform having an opening c011- centric with and through which said shaft extends, said opening being larger than said shaft, an annular groove in said'platform concentric with said opening, a cylindrical flange carried by said shaft and having an edge portion extending into said groove, said flange having an opening through which ore may pass from said platform to said opening, a scraper extending angularly from said flange and operative to deflect ore from the platform through the opening in the flange and towards the opening around said shaft, and adjustable means to vary the effective crosssection or capacity of said flange openmg.

5. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a platform having a central opening and a groove concentric with said opening, a rotatable cylindrical member extending into said groove and itself having an opening, and a deflector carried by and operative to force ore from the platform through the second opening.

6. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a platform having a central opening and a groove concentric with said opening, a rotatable cylindrical member extending into said groove and itself having an opening, a deflector carried by and operative to force ore from the platform through the second opening, and means to vary the effective size of the second opening.

7. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a platform having a central opening and a groove concentric with said opening, a rotatable cylindrical member extending into said groove and itself having an opening, an adjustable deflector carried by and operative to force ore from the platform through the second opening, means to vary the effective size of the second opening, and means to adjust the angular position of said deflector to vary the rate with which ore upon the platform is impelled through the second opening.

8. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a platform having a central opening and a groove concentric with said opening, a rotatable shaft extending through said opening, a plate carried'bysaid shaft, a cylindrical flange carried by said plate and extending into said groove, an opening in said flange, an adjustable deflector carried by and operative to force ore from the platform through the second opening," means to vary the size of the second openl ing, and means to vary the angular position of the deflector. a

9. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a platform having a central opening and a groove concentric with said opening, a rotatable cylindrical member extendlng lnto said groove and ltSBlf having an opening,a deflector carried by and operative to force ore from the platform through the second opening, and a second deflector carried by and operative to force ore after passing through the second opening towards the first opening;

10. In a metallurgical furnace, thecombi nation of a platform having a central opening and a groove concentric with said opening, a rotatable cylindrical member extending into said groove and itself having an opening, a deflector carried by and operative to force ore from the platform through the second opening, means to vary the effective size of the second opening, and a second deflector carried by and operative to force ore after passing through the second opening towards the first openin I 11. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a platform havingv a central openthe second opening, and a second deflector carried by and operative to force ore after passing through the second opening towards the first opening 12. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a platform having a central opening and a groove concentric with said'opening, a rotatable shaft extending through said opening, a plate carried bysaid shaft, a cylindrical flange carried by said plate and extending into said groove, an opening in said flange, an adjustable deflector carried by and operative to force ore from the platform through the second opening, means to vary the size of the second opening, and means to vary the angular position of the deflector, and a second deflector carried by and operative to force ore after passing through the second openingtowards the first opening. v

13. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a central shaft, a platform having a central opening through which ore may drop to a hearth below and provided with an annular'groove adjacent to said opening, a structure comprising a plate secured to said shaft above the level of said platform, and a depending flange carried by said plate and extending into said annular groove and having an opening above the level of the platform through which ore may be fed.

14. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a central shaft, a platform having a central opening through which ore may drop to a hearth below and provided with;

an annular groove adjacent to saidopening, a structure comprising a plate secured to said shaft above the level of said hearth, and a depending flange carried by said plate and extendmg lnto said annular groove and having an opening above :the level of the platform, a scraper carried by said struca structure comprising a plate secured to said shaft above the level of said platform, a depending flange carried by said plate and extending into said annular groove and having an opening above the level of the platform an exterior scraper carried by said structure and adapted to impell ore through the opening in said flange, and an interior scraper carried by said-flange and operative to impell such ore towards the central opening in said platform.

In testimony whereof I have affixed signature. 7

LOUIS RKELLEY.

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